A women pressure group in Manipur on February 11 demanded that the scheduled session of Manipur Legislative Assembly be preponed so that the house takes a decision on scrapping the tripartite Suspension of Operation (SoO) with Kuki-based militant groups and furnish it to the Centre before it takes a decision on extension of the truce further.
A recent cabinet meeting chaired by Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh had decided to convene the session of the legislative assembly on February 28.
Addressing the media at its office in Tera Amudon in Imphal on February 11, convener Sujata Thokchom of Imagi Meira, a women based pressure group, asserted that the state government should press the Centre to discontinue the SoO truce, while alleging that violation of the ground rules of the truce is behind the escalation of the violent conflict in Manipur.
She said that the Manipur assembly should pass a resolution to discontinue SoO and the same should be furnished to the pertinent authorities of the central government for a positive response.
Holding of the assembly session on February 28 would be too late to pass the proposed resolution and furnish the same to the Centre, she observed.
She explained that being the first session of the current year the assembly session would be commenced with the governor’s address which would be followed by other government agendas like the state budget for the financial year 2024-25.
“Imagi Meira would not want the assembly session to be convened only for the namesake but thoroughly deliberate on critical issues in the fore of the state and its people,” she added.
“The house should thoroughly discuss the issues of violation of the ground rules of SoO by the militants before passing a resolution to discontinue the truce further,” she further added.
Sujata said that everyone is now aware of the atrocities and unlawful activities being carried out by the cadres of the militant groups under SoO truce.
“It is said that the central security forces did not act against the militants because of the SoO truce,” she alleged.
“It is the responsibility of the government to address the demands raised by the people from time to time and the people have been pressing the government to end SoO truce with the militant groups,” Sujata also said.
“Knowing the pulse of the people, the state assembly should deliberate the issue of SoO and pass a resolution to address the long pending demand of the people”, the Imagi Meira convener also said.
